onebehind | magician's apprentice | been a hell of a ride but I'm thinking it's time to grow

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magician's apprentice | been a hell of a ride but I'm thinking it's time to grow

Dylan knew, coming out of the hospital if not going in, that getting sober wasn't going to be easy. He knew he'd have bad days and good days and days in between, and every therapist he's seen since then, every meeting he's been to has only reaffirmed that. They'd also armed him with a bag of tricks to deal with everything and everything in between, but -- well, today is one of the bad ones and nothing is helping. He's been pacing the house like a madman for the better part of the day, trying to find something to hold his attention long enough that he can stop thinking about running down to the nearest liquor store. He needs to get out of his skin. He's just shy of calling his sponsor. He needs to get out of the house.

He needs to get out of the house.

Stopping midway through moving a pile of books from one side of the living room to the other, he latches onto that idea and turns it over in his head. He needs to get out of the house.

He's moving again a second later, though this time, it's with a purpose, a clarity he hasn't felt like he's had in hours, days, weeks. He goes to Jack's room, tapping lightly on the door, and then after a beat and once he's been invited in, sticks his head in. Flashing him a smile that's equal parts reassuring and strained (he's fine, they're fine, this is nothing bad, he's just a little jittery, don't mind him), he tells him, "Hey. Pack your shit."

He has an idea. It'll be good for both of them.

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"He had 5Pointz for that," Dylan answers, shaking his head. "This was more -- he'd come here to work on the practical side of shit. Putting ideas on paper, building rigs, that kind thing." He also came here when he wanted to be alone, but Dylan remembers that part less.

"Wait, 5Pointz was your dad's?"

He feels like he should probably know that, but he didn't - and now he wants to get out there and have another look around, because holy shit.

One corner of Dylan's mouth twitches upwards at Jack's surprise. The expression blooms into a full-on smirk, albeit it slowly, and he nods. "It's an Eye property, technically, but."

But even he's not sure if that was before or after his father's death. Either way, it's all just semantics. Yes, 5Pointz was his father's.

"That's so cool," he says with a grin - and then turns his attention back out the front window, to the equally cool sight they're rapidly approaching.

"So, like... can we check out the theme park stuff?" He definitely wants to check out the boneyard, but he also doesn't want to end up falling in a pit or something.

"Nothing actually got finished -- " So, if Jack was hoping to get on a rollercoaster and ride if half a dozen times, he's going to be sadly disappointed. " -- but we can still look around, if you want. Nothing's actively gonna fall and kill you or whatever."

It's all pretty sturdy, despite being old and imperfect. He's walked along what track there is for that rollercoaster more than a few times.

Dylan gets a sense of dismissal through the connection - Jack assumed none of the rides were actually working - but he nods. "Yeah, no, that's what I meant. I just wanna look around."

He wanted to make sure that it isn't, in fact, going to fall or give him tetanus just by looking at it or something.

Dylan grunts in response, and as the dirt road gives way to cracking pavement, pulls off, heading deeper into the graveyard as opposed to in the direction of the warehouse. It's not long before they're close enough to walk to the boarding station and he stops the car there. After a second's worth of debate, he kills the engine, too, and gestures towards the windshield before he moves to get out.

If you wanted to look around, Jack, now's your chance.

Jack glances at Dylan for a moment - and then undoes his seatbelt, hopping out of the car as Dylan turns off the engine and heading for the bones of the coaster at a light jog.

He stops on the actual platform to wait for Dylan. "Did they name anything here?"

He's curious if the park had gotten that far along in its planning or if it was still just all mostly conceptual.

"If they did, I don't remember any of 'em," Dylan answers, almost apologetically. He doesn't remember the names and any signage is long gone. There might be blueprints, somewhere, but he doubts the names of the rides are on those, either -- they're usually too cut and dry for that.

"Why, you thinking about naming something?" He's only half-teasing.

Jack shrugs. "Not really?" He catches that sense of vague teasing. "Or, I mean. Not yet? I'll have to think about it."

He smiles crookedly before he looks back to the track. "This place would make for some really awesome pictures."

Dylan hums, accepting of that, and follows Jack's gaze back to the track. After a beat, he returns his attentions to Jack, shrugging. "We can bring a camera, next time we're out here. I probably should've thought of that, when I told you to pack your shit."

He'd been too worried about whether Jack would actually like it out here to think that he might want to take pictures, however.

"Yeah, if you'd actually told me where we were going, I might've thought of that," he teases with a crooked grin, because he's not actually mad about Dylan making this is a surprise. It's a really awesome surprise, after all.

"It was supposed to be a surprise," he shoots back, making a face at him. It was also kind of spur of the moment, and he hadn't really been thinking when they'd left the house. Either way, there's not much real heat behind his sourness, and to that end, he asks, "You want me to tell you what I'm getting you for Christmas, too, huh Mister I-Apparently-Hate-Surprises?"

"I don't actually hate surprises," Jack says over his shoulder - but a moment later, something in his side of the connection shifts, because well. Maybe he does, considering it's been a very long time since he's had a good surprise. "But, uh..."

And now he's thrown himself off, and he frowns, reaching up to run a hand through his hair. Shoot.

Dylan frowns, too, though any sourness inherent in it is directed at himself. He hadn't meant to upset Jack; he'd only been teasing. He hadn't thought about the fact that the joke might be in bad taste, though he absolutely is now, even if he's not likely to actually tell Jack what he's getting for Christmas.

"Sorry," he offers, gently.

Jack takes a deep breath and huffs it out again, turning fully away from looking over the bones of the rollercoaster to face Dylan. "No, it's... you're like... the opposite of who should be apologizing," he says bluntly, because Dylan's done nothing like what the others that have ruined things for him did. "I like good surprises? But you know how people have sucked."

It looks like it's a struggle for him to find and get the words out, but he's trying his best to open up to Dylan, considering everything Dylan has already done for him.

"Yeah, I know," he tells him, gently. He knows and he knows that's still a sore spot for Jack, and maybe that's what he was apologizing for -- not anything he, personally, has done, but everything every other shitty person in Jack's life has. God knows they won't be lining up to say they're sorry, after all. God knows Jack didn't deserve any of the shit he went through in the first place.

Either way and rather than try and explain that, he reaches for Jack slowly, gently. He figures both of them could use a hug.

Jack meets him halfway, feeling the hug coming through the connection. Considering the mood Dylan's been dealing with, they can definitely both use it.

He hugs him back for a long moment before stepping back. "Thanks, Dad."

They absolutely can and he holds Jack for as long as he'll let him, soaking in the contact and the comfort that comes with it as much as he offers it to Jack.

When they step back, he nods, humming, "Yeah." A beat. "Anyway, uh ... "

It's up to Jack, still, whether they move on to the warehouse proper or if he wants to keep exploring the graveyard.

Jack steps back, turning to glance back at the bones of the rollercoaster before he turns his attention to the sky. "I guess we should probably like.. unload the car and stuff before it gets dark?"

He would like to keep looking around, yes, but considering it was nearing sunset when they got here, he doesn't know how much light they have left and how the lighting situation might be, considering how abandoned the place normally is.

The lighting situation is pretty nonexistent, save for around the warehouse itself, and that in mind, Dylan nods as he steps back, too.

"Might not be a bad idea," he agrees, glancing back at the car. After a beat, he turns to head in that direction, expecting Jack to follow. "You can poke around some more, tomorrow morning or whatever." The interior of the warehouse should keep him busy until then.

Jack does follow, jogging a few steps to keep up with him. "That works," he agrees - because he will absolutely be looking around some more, considering how much more he guesses there is to see.

"So, uh..." he begins as they head back to the car. "Guessing it's been a while since you've been out here?"

Unless he's come at some point that Jack doesn't know about.

"It's been -- " He hesitates, trying to do the math in his head as he climbs back behind the wheel. It doesn't take him too long to give up, shaking his head. He's not sure he can remember the last time he was out here. " -- it's been awhile, yeah."

A beat.

"Sorry, if there's dust and shit on everything?" Never mind the fact that the warehouse itself takes care of that.

Jack shrugs as he settles back into his seat, pulling the door closed behind him. "I'm not worried about dust and stuff?"

He's really not, either. If it was gross, it might be one thing, but he can deal with it just being a little dusty.

"Just figured I'd warn you," Dylan answers, shrugging as he starts the car again.

It's not long after that that they're pulling up to the warehouse proper, and once Dylan stops the car again, he moves for the trunk, to get their luggage. Settling his bag onto his shoulder, he waits for Jack to do the same, then heads for the door. It doesn't seem to be locked, and maybe that's not surprising, but either way, Dylan pulls it open easily and holds it for Jack, wanting him to go first.

He nods towards the door, if that's not clear enough.

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